Pokemon Destructis: Kanto Adventures
by Reflekt
Summary: Red leaves Pallet Town and embarks on a perilous adventure to become the Pokemon League Champion. A tale based on the old Pokemon games, with mature themes, emotion and realism added. Let's do this!
1. Prologue: Born Anew

No matter how hard it tried, it could not remember.

_Where am I? How did I get here?_

_Who am I?_

A sea of red blurred its vision. It searched and searched for its memories, but a void blocked all attempts to remember. Dull pain flared through its senses. An arm? A leg? It was barely aware that it had arms and legs. Movement. It did not understand the concept of movement. Arms and legs, what were they?

"Then what do you need, Doctor Fuji?" a muffled voice proclaimed.

Voices. The creature could barely make out two shadows standing outside the tank. They were conversing with each other in voices it could understand, although why it could understand them, it did not know.

"We need to stabilize its blood pressure," the second shadow replied in an unstable voice. "To do that, we need a special serum."

"A special serum?" the first shadow mused. His voice was much deeper, more straightforward than the figure standing next to him. "You know how we do things around here."

The second figure, Dr. Fuji, sighed. "Yes, I realize. However, the serum is vital to the success of your project. Neglect could result in fatal consequences."

"And what if we secure this serum? What happens then?"

"...we stabilize the subject's internal readings and bolster its sense of perception."

The first shadow shifted, leaned his head back, and started laughing. The sound echoed across the cavern walls, bringing a chill down the creature's spine.

"Excellent. EXCELLENT!" The figure exclaimed. Dr. Fuji's shadow shrunk.

"You will find a present at your doorstep in a few days time, Doctor," the figure continued. "Compliments of my network. I trust that with this new development, the project will continue unhindered."

"Yes, sir," Dr. Fuji replied meekly. "There will be no problems."

The other figure stepped towards the creature. Through its caged eyes, the creature could see the hazy resemblance of a man, the features of the face before him. Short hair, sharp eyebrows, and chiseled features, grinning at it like a child upon a toy.

The creature felt it's first emotion. It felt fear.

The man's eyes widened with anticipation. Everything was going according to plan.

The world would soon be his.

_"Mewtwo."_

_"Your time has come."_


	2. Chapter 1: Wake Up, Red

**Chapter 1**

_Go Dragonite! HYPER BEEAAAM! Take that, Blue!_

"Red."

_Oh? What's that? That Caterpie was your last Pokemon?You know what that means, right?!_

"Red!"

_COWER BENEATH THE FEET OF MY LEVEL 90 DRAGONITE! MUHAHAHAHA!_

"RED!"

A hand abruptly shook his shoulder, shaking Red out of his pleasant dreams. He looked up, mind still stuck halfway between dream and reality. A tall, womanly figure towered over him, glaring down with a disapproving look on her face. She held a brown booklet in one hand and a long metal pointer in the other.

_Homeroom teacher...crap..._

Red blinked and wiped drool off his mouth. He tried glancing over at the clock- How long had he been sleeping?- but found his sight line blocked by a rather robust cleavage. He quickly looked the other way. A couple classmates suppressed laughter.

"Red!"

Red maintained his gaze in the opposite direction. "Yes, teacher?"

"How many times do I have to tell you not to sleep in class? And take that hat off!"

"Sorry, teacher." Red replied matter-of-factly, and proceeded to take off his red and white cap, gently placing it on the upper right corner of his desk. He rustled his messy black hair.

The homeroom teacher stared down Red for a few extra moments before muttering "kids these days" under her breath and roaming back to the front blackboard. The lesson was something about potions or whatever. Red didn't care. He just wanted to lay his head down on his desk and resume his beautiful dream, the dream of him kicking Blue's ass. Those dreams were hard to come by these days, and Red wanted to enjoy every minute of it.

He leaned back in his chair, put his hands behind his head, and gazed out the classroom window. It was picture perfect blue outside, with healthy clouds puffing their ways across the sky, pushed along by the calm breeze that enveloped quiet, little Pallet Town. Pidgeys sat on the the crimson roofs of the houses outside, chirping happily.

_What a peaceful day...I should celebrate with a little rest..._

"RED!"

–

Pallet Town was by no means a large town. Groves of tall oak trees surrounded it on three sides, with an ocean route completing the fourth. The enclosed nature of the town made it, by default, a sleepy oasis. It's small population maintained a friendly, easygoing community atmosphere, a welcome contrast to the larger cities up north.

Red's house was just down the street from the town square, where his school was located. After classes ended, he strolled home with his hat on his head and knapsack slung over his shoulder. The sun was starting to set, and Red didn't want to be caught outside in the dark.

"Mom, I'm home!" Red announced aloud upon closing the front door behind him, as he routinely did every school day. The clock struck six, and the smell of steam-fried tofu filled the air.

"Welcome back, Red!" his mom replied warmly. She was in the kitchen, stirring fried vegetables across a wide metal pan. A blue apron was tied around her waist, and the smoke from the pan wafted past her wavy hair. "Dinner's ready!"

Red dumped his pack beside the dinner table and sat down. He picked up the remote and flipped through TV channels. A cooking show was the most interesting program on at the moment. Red turned off the TV.

Red's mom scooped the remaining vegetables into a waiting plate, and with grace carried the plate to the table, completing the small set of dishes already present atop the plain white tablecloth.

"Red, honey, why is the TV off?" she asked as she sat down.

"There's nothing good on, mom," Red replied. He picked up a pair of chopsticks and selected a couple pieces of tofu to put on his plate.

"Oh Red," Mom shook her head. "You should put a little more variety into your TV schedule. Pokemon tournaments and battles aren't the only programs out there, you know."

"I know, mom," Red said, with mouth full of tofu. "But I like watching battles."

"Do you only like watching battles?" Red's mom used her chopsticks to pick up a glob of tofu. "You know, in life, watching will get you nowhere. You have to do something. If you like battles so much, then why don't you participate in a real one, like Oak's virtual tournament?"

Red perked up. Bits of tofu fell onto the table.

"Virtual tournament?"

"You haven't heard? The good professor is holding a virtual Pokemon tournament for young, aspiring Pokemon trainers up at his laboratory. It's like the Pokemon tournaments on TV, only simulated. I heard the top three trainers at the tournament will receive their very own Pokemon."

Red looked down at his plate, in thought. _My very own Pokemon?_ He thought. _Am I ready for that?_

"It's a large responsibility, but very appealing, especially for youngsters like you. I heard that over thirty kids are participating!"

_Thirty kids?! But there are only three Pokemon! My odds would be low._

Red bit on a chopstick.

_However...if I place in the top three, I'd finally get a chance to top Blue, right? He's always been bragging about being stronger than me ever since we were little. But if there's a chance, even a SMALL chance of getting my own Pokemon, then..._

Red stood up, firmly placing both hands on the dinner table. His mom looked up, slightly surprised.

"I'm joining!" He proclaimed aloud. "I'm going to win that old geezer's virtual tournament and win myself a Pokemon! Then, I'm going to beat up Blue!"

"Red, do not stand up when we are eating," his mom patiently reminded. "And clean your crumbs off the table!"

"Sorry," Red sat down and resumed eating. "But mom, when is the tournament?"

"Tomorrow, at 4 PM," Red's mom replied. "It should be a fun learning experience for you, Red."

Red spent rest of dinner thinking about the tournament. Tomorrow, Oak's laboratory, 4 PM. A chance to win a Pokemon. A chance to top Blue.

The night sky rolled in, moonshine reflecting off the roofs of Pallet Town. Red could not sleep.

–

A couple blocks away, a girl looked out her open window, at the bright moon above. She brushed her long, brown hair back and held her stuffed Clefairy close to her chest. The night sky seemed to stretch beyond her level of comprehension, past the distant trees and into the horizon. The same sky covered all land and sea. The girl smiled. No matter where her adventure was going to take her, she would be gazing at the same, familiar sky. She was looking forward to it.


	3. Chapter 2: Pikachu

**A/N: Sorry about the long delay! I had my hands full battling midterms, but now the clouds have cleared (for now :]).**

**Chapter 2**

The clouds rolled in during the lunch break, separating peaceful Pallet Town from its usual dose of blue sky and bright sunshine. By afternoon class, it was beginning to drizzle. A crowd of kids huddled against the classroom window, peering out at the water droplets pecking the playground outside.

"Aww, it's raining? But summer's almost here!"

"What about the Virtual Tournament? Is it still going to be held?"

"The one at old Oak's place, right? I hope so! It's gotta be an indoor event!"

"I'm so excited! Who do you think is going to win today?"

"I dunno! I heard that kids are even coming all the way from Pewter just to participate!"

"Doesn't matter where they come from! Blue's still going to kick their asses!"

"Blue...you mean Oak's grandson? I hear he trains under old Oak himself to be better at Pokemon battles!"

"Man, listening to the rain makes me want to go to the bathroom."

Red sat slouching at his desk, cap pulled over his eyes, half asleep. He had spent most of the previous night tossing and turning in bed, thinking about the tournament, and now he was reaping the consequences of sleep deprivation.

_What is everyone so fascinated about? It's just rain. Meh...at least teacher's out doing some copying right now. Better use this chance to get some sleep in before the tournament..._

"Um, excuse me."

Everyone (except Red, who was nodding off) turned towards the class entrance. A girl with long brown hair stood there, peering in with a rather inquisitive look on her petite face. A yellow messenger bag was slung across her right shoulder, over her school uniform.

"Who's that?" one kid whispered to another.

"I dunno, but she's kinda cute," the other kid whispered back.

"Who you lookin' for?" a third kid shouted out.

The girl glanced at Red, who was snoring with the cap tucked over his face.

"I'm looking for Blue," the girl said. "Is he in this class?"

A sea of whispers quickly enveloped the room at the mere mention of Blue's name.

"She's looking for BLUE? You mean like, THE Blue?"

"Is she one of his girlfriends?"

"Dude, Blue hooked HER in? What a player!"

The girl leaned against the door frame, checking the yellow watch strapped across her left wrist. She seemed undisturbed by all the gossip cycling through the room.

"Well, is he in this class or is he not?" she raised her voice. The floating whispers died down.

"Who are you looking for?" Red suddenly spoke. He was still leaning back in his chair, cap obscuring his face.

Silence.

"Say, who are you anyway?" Red lifted his cap slightly to get a better look at the girl standing in the doorway.

"I'm looking for Blue," the girl repeated.

Red did a double take.

"Careful Red, she's one of Blue's girlfriends!" hissed one of the kids next to Red.

Red carefully measured the girl with his eyes and shook his head. Even though the girl WAS pretty cute, she definitely wasn't the type of girl Blue would go after. Red knew Blue well enough to deduce that.

"Are you participating in the tournament today?" Red asked the girl.

"Yes, I am," the girl nodded, slightly taken aback by Red's assessment.

Gasps could be heard around the room, and pretty soon the murmured whispers began to circulate around the room again.

"SHE'S going to be in the tournament? You've gotta be kidding me."

"Who IS this girl? I've never seen her here before!"

"She doesn't look like she can even pass the first round!"

Red observed the girl, who didn't seem to bothered by the rude comments. She looked at her yellow watch again and shifted her feet.

"Blue's usually in our class," Red finally replied. "However, since today's the day of the tournament, he's most likely training at Oak's lab. His grandpa's lab."

"Oh, I see," the girl nodded in acknowledgment.

_What does this girl want with Blue?_ Red wanted to ask the girl a lot of questions, but by then she was already bowing towards him in courtesy.

"Thanks for your help," the girl said. Just like that, she disappeared from the doorway as quick as she entered, followed by many pairs of eyes.

The patter of the raindrops outside grew louder.

The storm had arrived.

–

Red didn't bring an umbrella with him, so after the last bell rang he darted out of the school building, sprinted across the town square, and shot off down the main road, braving the brewing winds and rain. Oak's laboratory was located on a hill at the north end of Pallet Town, separated from the rest of the town by a sloping field of grass that on a normal day flowed gently in the breeze.

Though today the grass wasn't really flowing gently as it was whipping back and forth against the increasingly violent gust.

Bits of mud spat up Red's jeans, flashes of lightning lit up the treeline beyond the fields, pellets of water stung Red's exposed arms and face as he continued to sprint towards the laboratory with only one thought in mind:

_Pokemon Tournament. Pokemon Tournament. Pokemon Tournament. Pokemon Tournament. Three Pokemon up for grabs, top three competitors chosen to be Pokemon Trainers, instant fame in the social circles of Pallet Town. Glory. GLORY. All the girls flocking from Blue's side over to my side-_

"PIKA!"

A bright burst of voltage shot up out of the grass to Red's left, abruptly interrupting his thoughts of the tournament. The rain-drenched boy stopped in his tracks and squinted through the rain towards the source of the thunder, curious.

"PIKAAA!"

Another column of electricity erupted into the sky from the same location. Red had to look away to avoid being blinded by the brightness. He felt the heat against his face. The hairs on the back of his head tingled as they stood up.

Before he knew it, Red found himself diverging from his original path towards Oak's lab, wading through the grass and mud towards the source of the electricity. His legs moved under his own power, he could feel his own ragged breath as his lungs struggled for air. The rainwater was dripping off the edges of his cap, but he didn't care. He wanted to find the source of that spectacular display of electricity. He had to figure out what was going on.

"PIKAAAAAAAA!"

A third burst of thunder shot high into the air. The resulting shockwave was strong enough to knock Red down onto his back. He got up slowly, spitting mud out of his mouth.

Rustle. Rustle.

Suddenly, a small yellow-brown form burst through the wet grass in front of him, rolling over the mud like a tumbling ball. The yellow form slowly came to a stop, wheezing in pain. Sparks were flying out of its little red cheeks in erratic bursts.

_It's...it's a Pokemon!_

Red gasped audibly, inhaling some rain pellets in the process. After a coughing fit, he stared down at the Pokemon in front of him like it was an alien from outer space. He realized in frustration that he didn't know the name of the Pokemon he was looking at. Route 1, Viridian City, and the Viridian Forest, Red had been to all these places many times in his youth, but had never seen any Pokemon like this before. It certainly wasn't a species he was familiar with.

_Maybe it's an evolved form of something?_

The yellow Pokemon cried out again and, as if on cue, a flurry of dangerously hot sparks released themselves from its body, burning the moist air around them with a sizzle.

Red, sensing incoming danger, quickly scrambled to his feet.

"PIKAAA!"

A bright flash of light shot up out of the Pokemon's body and into the sky, overwhelming Red's corneas. He spent the next few minutes on his knees, helplessly feeling around the grass.

_What was that?! Lightning?! I can't see! Crap!_

The Pokemon wailed in pain, and began crawling across the mud with its pudgy little arms. Its thunderbolt-shaped tail lay half buried behind it, still coursing with rogue electricity. Red was no longer thinking about the tournament. His thoughts were purely focused on what was happening now.

His vision slowly came back to him, and he quickly crawled over to the yellow Pokemon.

"Hey little guy!" Red coughed and spat rainwater from his mouth. "You don't look so good!"

The Pokemon glanced at Red with half-open eyes and let out a short groan. Sparks flew out of its cheeks.

"Here, I'll take you to the lab, all right? They've got all kinds of medicine there, so you'll be just fine!" Red tried to comfort the little Pokemon.

"Piiikkaaa..." the Pokemon panted, exasperated.

Red reached down to pick it up. "Here here, You're in good hands- OWWW!"

Volts of electricity shot through Red's body as soon as he touched the Pokemon's furry little body. Looking, he could see that his school uniform was practically burnt to a crisp. Pieces of fabric stuck to his skin; he could smell the charred cloth despite the fact that the storm was brewing all around him.

_Okay, that was stupid. Why did I try to touch it again? I gotta try a different approach._

Red glanced back at the path he was walking on earlier. It had turned into muddy mush. He turned back to the Pokemon, which glanced at Red with eyes filled with suffering. Red felt his heart sink.

"RAAAAAAH!"

A third voice pierced through the air directly in front of Red. Without warning, a sand-colored shape burst through the grass blades and connected with Red's stomach. The air forcefully left Red's lungs, and he landed on the muddy grass a good three meters away from the injured yellow Pokemon he was tending to earlier.

"RAAAAAAH!"

Dazed and struggling to breath through the falling rain, Red strained to get a clear look at his aggressor. A tawny rat standing on its hind legs, sneering through its sharp teeth, squinting through sharp beady eyes.

_A Raticate!_ Red was stunned. Raticate sightings were rare in the wild Pokemon-filled fields to the north, much less in the confines of Pallet Town itself. The Raticate standing before him probably got lost during the storm and stumbled past the town gates in a daze.

It was the first time Red had ever laid his eyes on a real live Raticate. He had seen them in action on the Battle Channel before, but seeing one live was a completely new experience for him. It was an experience Red would have relished for in a different scenario, a different situation.

Right now though, the Raticate in front of Red had its eyes and teeth directly locked on the yellow Pokemon nearby. It's wet furry body was tense with agitation; it's eye tinted red.

"RAAAAAAH!" The Raticate let out a screech, ready to lunge at the defenseless yellow Pokemon. It did not like being blinded by sudden bright flashes of lightning, and was about to make its anger known to the source.

"Hey! Leave it alone!" Red picked up a muddy rock and tossed it at the Raticate. The rock bounced off the oversized rat's head and landed with a thud in trampled grass. The Raticate turned to face Red.

"RAAAAAAAAAH!" The Raticate turned away from the yellow Pokemon to face its human aggressor.

"Yeah, there you go!" Red picked up another muddy rock and lobbed it at the Raticate. The rock grazed the top of its head and landed dangerously close to the unknown yellow zapper Pokemon. "Focus on me! It's me you want!"

Red's eyes suddenly widened as he observed something unsettling. The rain pellets were curving slightly to avoid hitting the Raticate's fur. Energy was building up inside the Pokemon and the effects of the energy buildup were seeping out of its body. Red had watched enough Pokemon battles to recognize that he was trouble.

_Focus Energy! It's planning to attack!_

Red struggled to back away, hands instinctively searching through the surrounding mud for more rocks to throw. He didn't know if he could take one more hit; a focused tackle would land Red in the hospital with broken bones that could take weeks, even months to heal. Red didn't want to spend that much time in a hospital. All he wanted to do was see the world, raise Pokemon and beat Blue...

_...I was really looking forward to that Pokemon tournament today, too..._

The Raticate finished concentrating its aura and took a step forward, ready to finish Red once and for all. It let out a chilling screech, a savage battle cry, and then-

"PikaaaaAAAAAAAAA!"

Red's world flashed white. The sound of rain faded into silence.

–

The first thing Red saw when he opened his eyes was a white tiled ceiling. Sunlight bathed the room through a giant window to the right, casting a patterned glow over his bed. Pidgeys could be heard chirping happily outside.

_I'm in a hospital._

Red closed his eyes and opened them again, staring up at the ceiling with a blank expression on his face. He tried to replay everything that had happened to him. The storm. The pillar of electricity. The injured yellow Pokemon. The angry Raticate.

The Pokemon tournament he was going to participate in.

Red close his eyes for a third time. This time, he kept them closed. He didn't want to see anything. For all he knew, the Pokemon tournament was over. The winners were chosen and sent on their way up through Route 1. If Red hadn't deviated off that muddy path to investigate the source of lightning...

"Red, honey! You're awake!"

Red opened his eyes just as his mom reached in to wrap him in a warm embrace. His nose picked up the distinct scent of perfume.

"I was so worried!" Red's mother leaned back out, and Red could see that her eyes were red from dried tears.

Red wanted to say something, but couldn't find the strength to.

"Red, what you did out there was reckless. Didn't I tell you not to walk through tall grass?" an older, male voice butted in.

Red recognized the voice. Every kid in Pallet Town recognized that voice.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think you were venturing off to prove yourself on a fool's errand!" Professor Oak cleared his throat and brushed invisible dust off his lab coat.

"The Pokemon tournament..." Red managed to say aloud. It hurt to talk.

"The tournament was completed yesterday," Oak filled Red in on the details. "Three Pokemon were given to three able youngsters, and two of them have already left Pallet Town for Viridian City. The third, my own grandson, is leaving later today."

He scratched his chin.

"Hmm, what was his name again?" Professor Oak wondered aloud.

Red's head sunk further into his pillow. So it was true, then. The tournament came and passed without him. That was it.

His mother squeezed his hand.

"Professor Oak's not finished, honey," she said assuredly. "Listen to him."

"I will admit, I was rather surprised when they found you fifteen meters off the path leading up to my laboratory, especially considering the terrible weather circumstances we were experiencing yesterday," Oak continued. He seemed to be gauging Red's response.

Red's expression remained blank.

"And I was even more surprised when they found a lone Pikachu draped over your back, half-conscious and half-asleep," Oak said.

Red's eyes grew wide.

"Pika...chu?" he repeated. The name felt unfamiliar on his tongue.

Oak nodded.


End file.
